Time’s up Johnno

England’s exit should be seen as a blessing — a chance to revamp the entire set-up, starting with Martin Johnson’s dismissal

Johnson's record as England head coach is far from emphatic (Paul Harding)

What is worse than defeat? In England’s case, victory. Here is a chilling
thought, with which I tortured myself in the hours after England’s exit from
the World Cup. What if they had found some fortuitous way of beating the
revived French? It would have destroyed the elite arm of the sport in
England for generations, nothing less.

There has been a dreadful smugness surrounding the national team for far too
long. “We’re getting there,” has always been the mantra. Where, exactly?
Oblivion? But had they won, Martin Johnson could have waved happily to the
fans on his way to the semi-final, perhaps even convinced himself that he
should stay on, whereas now he must know in his heart that he should go
immediately. After 38 games of his tenure as team manager, I cannot find a
single area in which England are not emphatically worse than when he
arrived.